


We Stick Together And We See It Through

by straightupcreepin



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2020-02-15 16:09:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18673039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/straightupcreepin/pseuds/straightupcreepin
Summary: Happy reflects on his career and his relationship with Tony.





	We Stick Together And We See It Through

**Author's Note:**

> When the road looks rough ahead  
> And you're miles and miles from your nice warm bed  
> You just remember what your old pal said  
> Boy, you've got a friend in me

Happy isn't there when Tony's taken, the first time. He's at home, at Stark Tower, assisting Ms. Potts with whatever she needs help with.

He remembers getting the news. Remembers the way everything had just ... stopped. He remembers the stricken look on Ms. Potts' face, the way he felt just as helpless. They'd sat together on the couch, watching the news in silence.

\--

He remembers before that, too, when Tony's newly instated as C.E.O. and comes to review his security team.

Happy isn't anybody. He's young and new, the lowest of the low on the totem pole at the Stark Industries. But he laughs at one of Tony's jokes and Tony pauses and looks at him. Doesn't say anything. Just looks at him like he's memorizing Happy the way he'd memorize a machine he wants to take apart later or a bug he intends to squish, before moving on.

He thinks he fucked up. His superiors obviously think so, too. He's in the middle of having his ass handed to him by his immediate supervisor when the call comes in.

"Are you sure you want Hoga- Yes, Mr. Stark. Of course, sir. Right away." The supervisor hangs up and turns to Happy with a furrowed brow, like he can't believe what he's saying. "You're wanted upstairs. Mr. Stark has chosen you as his personal detail."

"Me?" Happy can't believe it either. He points to himself and looks around, like his supervisor should be referring to literally anyone else. "Like, _me_ me?"

"Do you really want to question it? Go!" The supervisor gestures up the stairs, and Happy scrambles to follow.

\--

Tony Stark both is and isn't everything everyone says about him.

He's irreverent and arrogant, abrupt, impulsive, and fiercely, intimidatingly intelligent. He doesn't take anything seriously and he only cares about himself. He's exasperating and exhausting and makes everyone around him want to tear their hair out in frustration.

He's also extremely focused when he takes on a project, loyal to his staff, and outrageously generous when the mood strikes him.

Happy pretty much fell in love with him immediately. It wasn't romantic, but that didn't mean it was insignificant. He'd have walked over broken glass for that man and be honored for the chance to do so.

Exasperated, maybe. But honored.

\--

Tony comes back from Afghanistan, and it feels like a miracle. He's different but not in a way that means he's unrecognizable. Not as different as people seem to think. A veneer's been removed from the surface, that's all.

Anyway you have to be different, Happy thinks, when something like this happens. Even Tony Stark has to grow up a little every once in a while.

He won't let Happy drive him any more, but that's ok. Happy doesn't mind putting his feet up now and then.

\--

Things happen over the years.

Vanko. Aliens. Robots. Explosions. (There are way too many exosions.) The arc reactor itself tries to kill Tony. Tony retires.

Then more aliens. Tony, being Tony, hops on their spaceship and follows them into the atmosphere.

Pepper's worried, but Tony will come back. Happy knows he will. Tony always comes back.

Happy keeps on believing it, even when something... happena, a weird and unsettling feeling, and Happy finds himself fading away.

\--

Five years pass. Happy doesn't feel them. All he knows is that he wakes up at the Tower and Tony isn't there. But he knows what to do when shit goes down and Tony's off fighting the good fight - he finds Pepper Potts.

It's the place he finds her at that surprises him. And who he finds her with.

Tony has a kid. A girl. It's not something Happy ever saw happening, but he's glad it did because Morgan Stark is just as smart as her dad and about a thousand times more adorable. Nothing bad will ever happen to that little girl. Happy's going to make sure of it, he decides that immediately.

He sends Pepper off and promises to keep an eye on Morgan while she and Tony and the others save the multiverse or whatever. This is where he's most useful, this is where he needs to be.

Happy makes a mental note to give Tony shit about pillow forts and growing tomatoes and _composting_ when he gets back.

He never gets the chance.

\--

Tony Stark always beats the odds. But he also always takes on too much, more than he can handle, and tries to spare and protect those around him.

Happy isn't there when it happens. He's hundreds of miles away, but it wouldn't have mattered anyway. This isn't something anyone could have protected Tony from. Tony chose to do this.

And no one has ever stopped a Stark from doing something they're determined to do.

\--

He finds Morgan on the porch, after the memorial service. She's too young to really get what's going on, and Happy thinks that's probably a good thing.

He talks to her, gets her a plate of food. Makes sure she's entertained and distracted while the adults around her mourn.

They'll make sure she knows her dad. And from what Happy's heard, the memories she has of him will be of Tony at his best.

\--

Tony leaves him a boatload of money, and Happy's surprised but also not surprised.

He also inherits the Stark Internship Program. He's mostly been running it, anyway.

He'll stick with Peter for now, but he has his eyes on a few others for the future. There are a lot of smart and powerful kids out there, and they're gonna need someone to keep an eye on them.

Nobody has more experience with corralling the impossible to corral than he does.

\--

Morgan's gonna be one of those kids. Happy can already tell.

She's got that same spark in her that Tony had, the same curiosity. She's already taking apart toasters and radios to see how they work.

She's a trouble maker. She's going to make her own mistakes. Probably lots of them, if she follows in her father's footsteps.

One day Happy and Pepper are gonna sit side by side on the couch again, pulling their hair out with worry while Morgan takes on the world.

He couldn't be more proud.

**Author's Note:**

> I love Happy Hogan and feel his and Tony's friendship is one of the most important and underrated in the films. Naturally I had a lot of feelings after watching Endgame. This is one path they took me down. Who else is still reeling????


End file.
